Weird Wave at Kanaha, Maui

[KUS]

I have thought about this a bit and after talking to some locals it sure seems that info on this place is limited to "stay away, bad news". Perhaps others like the group going in April could benefit a bit from more info, I have pasted in a piece of my daily journal from this Maui trip:

"Monday March 15, 2010........We head down to get some snorkel action in before lunch and I plan to hit Kanaha today with a huge swell forecast.

Kanaha Adventure: So, that was a big negative or zero. Rigged too small, got out and it was cranking at the beach but Kanaha has either no or too much wind at the beach never matching the outside and I knew this, still went out, barely making my gybe outside, making my way back barely moving. Almost caught the Uppers wave set for a quicker ride in but I was just too slow and no juice available. Pumping like mad, but no good. It was difficult because of the huge waves to discern the weird wave but I thought I was coming in still well above it. Then I got caught from behind by a rogue wave from my blind side and got repeatedly worked. I have no idea where this set came from….don’t turn your back on the ocean mantra going through my head. So bad and going in circles I finally gave up trying to water start. I figured the wind was probably pushing me into the weird wave but it was impossible to tell in the rinse cycle. There was no wind for a long several minutes and all I got were rollers after rollers, huge faces after faces, with no end in sight, going over my head. I lost the rig several times getting it ripped from my hands and swam like a champ to barely catch it before the next one hit, more than a couple of times. I managed a few sail clears and again no wind made me get worked over and over and over again. This would have been no biggie as I am used to this from Oregon but I guess I panicked because of the current I felt sucking me windward, the weird wave reputation, and then I finally disconnected the rig thinking holding onto it might keep me there forever. Once I did this I managed to surf/boogie board style into and out of the weird wave on the board but couldn’t really tell where it started and/or ended. Terrified really because of the warnings and stories more than the workings…..”mercilessly worked in the break until able watermen drowned” I think is one wording. At times I could stand but the suck back and current obviously going upwind scared the crap out of me, never have gotten swept upwind before. I was strange, unfamiliar certainly and made me jettison the rig probably unnecessarily. I tried swimming perpendicular to the rip and this did nothing. Then I drifted/kicked on the board what seemed like forever, but watching the rig only a few feet away let me know I wasn’t getting anywhere. Going toward it also had no effect. Swimming hard trying to stay clear yet the harness hook and u-joint kept getting in my way from lying flat on the board….I didn’t want to stop swimming to address those things as I kept seeing the weird wave blowing spray upwind out of the corner of my eye. Finally I got reasonably clear and started yelling at some old farts (like me) sailing by in the now bit flatter water. Either their fucking hearing aids/contacts were not in or they were ignoring my calls, there is NO WAY they didn’t see me wave or yell, if they indeed had any hearing or vision left. It was obvious I had no rig. No voice left (and no whistle, dooooh) I kept drifting a bit toward Lowers, getting worked on occasion in the huge swell and finally near exhaustion I saw one woman and also another younger sailor hear/see me, gybe and make for the lifeguard hut….something I would have expected about 30 minutes prior. Another agonizing 20 minutes passed til the fucker finally came, by this time I was 200yrds from shore but probably I would have passed out and slipped under so I accepted the ride grudgingly. I have always maintained I would swim with my lips to shore before I would accept rescue….today I ate my words. I am such a pussy! They wouldn’t grab my rig, I lost sight of it then just behind the Lowers break. In hindsight I should have asked for a ride to the rig, not the beach, alas I was too baked to think of it….. and we got a wicked wave riding sesh right after, me on the platform one hand clenched around a strap, the other on the strap of my board that was now flipping in the air from waves and wind, the crap jet ski thing bogging and rolling like mad. I dug my feet into the deck to not flip and roll off. What do they do with guys who have broken legs/arms or are unconscious? I thought once we were going end over end on one wave that came spinning off from the breaks. Always pictured these jetski things with more horsepower and speed, that ride sucked the chrome off the doorknob. Later I was signing on the dotted line for “refusing treatment” for this dangerous situation of salt water in my lungs….I explained I have experience getting worked, maybe not this bad but still, ha, I am a “getting worked” pro really. Afterward kept scanning the water with binocs, wishing I had a boom to rig my 5.7 and go looking for it or at least enjoy the amazing wave/swell day! and the guard actually went looking for the rig (he was looking way too low) but never found it. Later he said he dragged a yellow sail on the beach, I got all excited about a happy ending (gear wise at least), hobbled over to see but after a long painful walk (by this time of swimming so hard the hip was f&^ked again) it turned out it was a torn Ezzy, not my 2010 sailed 3x sail. I am certain that several people MUST have sailed right past my rig, no way nobody saw the thing. I was floating just past behind the Lowers break so everyone gibing coming through the channel would have had a chance to come across it. I walked the length of the beach several times with no results. Apparently there is no lost and found on Maui and street people/fishermen sell their finds at the local pawn shops….that’s just fucking great. I left my info with Kanahakai and also some of the other shops as sometimes sails are turned into them.
I am extremely angry right now, had the Rammstein tunes cranked to max on the way home, my new lines, shitty but freshly rebuilt carbon boom, new sail and 100% carbon mast: All gone. I am alive but feel empty….I have been “rescued”, I should have refused the ride and made them fetch my rig…..I should never have disconnected it in the first place I think and managed the beating a bit more and better. I feel like excrement warmed up, a complete wave sailing failure, a Kook after 24 years of windsurfing. Wow! I wonder if I should sell/give away all my garage full of gear and never hit the water again. Intense experience and emotions on several levels, it’s hard to describe. It’s not even the money as much as the rescue thing and missing a killer session of a lifetime, no pun intended. Those waves were miraculous, the rides guys were getting out of this world.

Lessons as I see them for those who give a shit:
-Sail with someone you know and trust, other sailors (tho this was news to me) will ignore you and not assist, nor will they try to get lost gear to shore (tho expect it to be shards of carbon and plastic anyway on a big day if it does get found)
-RIG BIG, u can always come in and rig down, fuck I hate not having any wind at critical times, after all these years I should know better….It was 5.7, not 4.7 when not fighting gusts and the break was dead. The waves LOOKED 4.7, I wished it 4.7…….. it wasn’t.
-At Kanaha: Avoid the weird wave, if it looks like you may be stuck in it because of slogging, go to Lowers and walk up the beach, much easier, trust me. I thought I was well above it, fell, got worked repeatedly, then sucked into it, getting worked repeatedly again and again…..did I say ‘again’? yep
-Was it necessary to ditch the rig? Well, I am alive and surfed out of it but I guess I’ll never know for sure….at this point I think with any sort of wind at all I should have hung on, held onto the board cuz how could you drown? Tho this sounds sensible now, but not then….I almost lost the board a bunch of times and I did get the rig ripped from my hand half a dozen times and got flipped/tossed turned despite my lengthy Oregon rinse cycle training (later at several shops leaving my info and everyone asking how I could possibly lose a rig without the board it turns out all the guys behind the counter had at one time been worked by the weird wave on big days, two claimed they ditched their rigs, one smart enough to hold onto the mast in the straps…..they too felt that their rigs were what held them there. More noteworthy perhaps: nobody chuckled when I told them my story, they had their own)
-U lose your gear on Maui you are apparently fucked as there is no lost and found and people don’t give a shit, there are too many windsurfers and surfers here for anyone to care and your gear won’t stick out among the millions of colorful and new pieces of equipment. I doubt mine is in any shape any longer given the immense waves today but it would have been miraculous and put a positive spin on this event.

As it is I am not in any hurry to come back here to Maui but times changes things I suppose. This is not just based on the events of today which of course pissed me off but are not the entire story. Some of my issues are these: This place is too hot (I never slept much past 3 even with the AC on), there is nobody here I know, it is too expensive (probably ridiculously so if there was no Walmart or Costco for competition), there are funny things in the water that can eat or hurt you (jellyfish and urchins probably more dangerous than sharks), the place is crawling with tons of unfriendly natives (without exception all the white locals were on the other hand superfriendly), the lifeguards that are too fucking slow, the reefs are sharp and unforgiving, the flights were horrendous and life draining. If you don’t bring your gear you are forever renting and running back to the shop to change it…..or pay through the nose most times to get it here. If it wasn’t for the blue green warm waters, sun and sand I wouldn’t want to come again at all…..We’ll see I guess, time will tell. I am on an extreme downer right now…..
A body inspection shows my Charlie horse blood has drained down into the area above my knee now or maybe this is a new one from my weird wave encounter, looks pretty nice and blackish. Still not peeling anywhere which is surprising. 2 showers and two swims a day I guess get rid of any loose skin cells  Great chicken clubhouse sandwiches for dinner. Nice. The little rats in the pool won’t stop screaming, I wanna go down there and drown them, but first their parents. It’s just like on the flight over…people are so considerate on this trip. I grumble and ponder the events of this day. Tough to feel happy to be alive when you are….Shouldn’t have let the rig go…..grrr. ""

............for what it's worth

[nanmoo]

Well that was a spirited read, Thanks Markus!

[JL]

Thanks for sharing Kus ... Your just making me feel good about staying local . (& cozy in my new Hotline suit)

[DavidM]

Epic saga and good read! If it doesnt kill you, it only makes you stronger.

[GWIND]

Welcome Home Kuster.

[~~~~~4j~~]

$$$, yes, but it does sound to me like your initial decision to drop the rig was right.

Thanks for the story and warning about this location...I had never heard of the weird wave before.

[jim mckenzie]

It would seem you're working yourself over because maybe you think you ditched the rig because you were scared.
If you had serious doubt AT THAT MOMENT then I think you did the right thing.
Your next session might be your best ever.
This was a great posting. Really enjoyed it.

[scarlet]

Quite an experience! Kind of a catch 22 situation with the rig. You ditch it but when you do so your board is anchorless and it may get away from you and then you're in the soup. Did you have your board leashed to you?

Good thing you're a tough guy, Kus!

[Cj]

Humbling story Kus. Your also a great writer. Good read. Thanks for sharing your story.CJ

[KUS]

hmm, yeah thx, baring my soul not really meant for the entertainment value but I know a few locals are heading there shortly and perhaps my honest feelings at that time drive the point home and could be helpful to them.

Scared? U bet yer ass pretty much little girl crying for mommy scared! Don't know about u but I have never, ever called loudly for help before, even during my bear encounter....then not really getting any during & after was a shocker. Not sure what would have happened had I also lost the board...well, actually, life force is a powerful thing but i doubt I would've made it...tho they would have found all my fingernails embedded in the footstraps.

Totally avoidable event, don't count on the lifeguards, false sense of security. Swimming with a windsurf board in waves sucks. The weird wave is probably a non-issue when it's not big.

[mortontoemike]

"Perhaps catastrophe is the natural human environment, and even though we spend a good deal of energy trying to get away from it, we are programmed for survival amid catastrophe." -- Germaine Greer

It was probably best that you didn't question your survival instincts KUS. Hope to see you at Gordo's this summer.

[rocdoc]

Kus - Thanks for your frank description of what sounds like a seriously humbling experience.

Before going out anywhere new or even at a local spot windsurfers/surfers should always ask themselves "What's the worst that could happen?".
Having surfed since 1968 and windsurfed since 1983 I have experienced more than a few "worst happening experiences" and learned lessons like yours.
Every lesson learned makes me think twice and approach the situation differently the next time.

One thing I have learned is that windsurfers put themselves in much more dangerous positions than most surfers.
Thats because of how quickly windsurfers can sail much further offshore, or get out through a short pause in otherwise heavy surf conditions. Then when shit happens nobody can help you.

We all like to charge and challenge the ocean, but there comes a time when that attitude catches up with you and "the hunter becomes the hunted". Some days I watch or just walk away because I know its too much for me.

[duckbill]

I am planning a trip to maui in about a year. I will be sure to read your experience again, just before I go. As a gentle reminder that I am a guest of the sea, and need to show the appropriate respect.

[tempy]

Thanks for the report, Kus. It reaffirms my practise of never, ever sailing 'alone". And by that I mean your definition - of not having a buddy with you - rather than the false sense of other people in the water at the same time. I hope your experience can inform those of us on the Island who perhaps take local knowledge for granted and think they can brave it alone.
Glad to hear you are safe and that it is a story you can tell to others rather than a story that is told by others about you.
Cheers
Tempy

[downwind dave]

there is nobody on maui you know? .my guess iz they spotted you first and steered clear! here comes trouble with a capital K!
thanks for the fun read.. glad U made it back!